RickyHatton’s camp has agreed a deal "in principle" (if that means anything in boxing!) to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. at Las Vegas in December. You don’t need a hype machine to realise that this is a ‘super-fight’ - a battle for the sport’s pound-for-pound crown.

After his impressive turn against Jose Luis Castillo, The Hitman could have taken a few easier paydays. But he isn’t interested in championship titles, nor is he willing to wait to fight the very best. Hatton wants to be up there in the history books with the likes of Roberto Duran - his boxing hero. And there is no-one else at present more respected and universally thought of as the world's No 1 than the Pretty Boy Floyd.

The previous month, Joe Calzaghe is set for a unification fight on home turf with the super-middleweight division’s notable other - Mikkel Kessler. While defeating Kessler would certainly cement Calzaghe’s legacy as a seemingly never-ending champion, the fruits that lie after the fight are potentially more rewarding, yet long overdue.

'Unfortunately, many homegrown fighters barely register on the world stage until they’ve caused a scene in the US'


The "Pride of Wales" has already confirmed that this is his last fight at super-middleweight,  and only a couple of weeks ago light-heavyweight king Bernard Hopkins (after defeating Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright - previously undefeated himself since 1999) called Calzaghe out live on TV: recognition, indeed, from another modern day great.

Unfortunately, many homegrown fighters barely register on the world stage until they’ve caused a scene in the US. And for all the hype, many of Britain’s boxers - even the top starlets - barely cracked America.

Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank were great fighters with memorable personalities - certainly for the British audience - but how are they viewed abroad? Eubank rarely defended his world title abroad and never in the States. Benn was more travelled, winning a world title in Italy but more notably flying to Las Vegas and defeating Iran Barkley in spectacular fashion (a first-round knockout) for another world title - that he subsequently lost to Eubank. However, are they universally recognised as the top dogs of their era? One suspects that for the worldwide audience, Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins will be the best remembered middleweights of the nineties.

Remember ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed? You can draw haunting parallels between his stardom and the way Amir Khan is promoted and lauded over. Despite defeating a number of impressive fighters and defending world titles on numerous occasions, you could argue that we’ll remember him more for his ropey American debut against Kevin Kelly and later being outclassed at the fists of Marco Antonio Barrera - a subsequent living legend. Not that Hamed was a false prophecy; he was a very good fighter, it’s just that he wasn’t "all that", and sadly, refused to avenge his single loss, somewhat spoiling his lasting legacy.

On the other hand, a couple did make their mark across the Atlantic. Lennox Lewis is probably the last great fighter of the heavyweight division and dominated the marquee weight for a number of years. Also, in Hattonesque fashion, Bermondsey’s Lloyd Honeyghan rocked the boxing world in 1986 by defeating then unanimous welterweight world champion and pound-for-pound favourite Don Curry in Las Vegas. Yet Hatton would surpass this feat (if he hasn’t already) by stopping Mayweather’s seemingly imperious reign.

Not wanting to place any undue pressure on the lad, but if Hatton was to win such a bout, it surely isn’t out of the realms of the reality to proclaim him as the greatest modern era boxer Britain has produced. With victories over Kessler and Hopkins under his belt, Calzaghe wouldn’t be far behind either (though it’s easier said than done). Bold claims, perhaps, but it is rare to see Brit fighters in era defining fights.